CHICO -- Officers had extra trouble communicating with dispatch this week as the Chico Police Department switched over to narrowband radio.

"You just worry," Sgt. Rob Merrifield said. "The thing in the back of your mind is if I'm getting my butt kicked somewhere or one of my co-workers needs help — you wonder what it's going to take to get the radios fixed."

Chico police communications manager Nancy Wilson said Thursday most of the issues should have been solved, but Merrifield said Friday officers were having problems before the switch.

The federal government mandated that public safety, industrial and business licensees must operate on 12.5 kHz channels by Jan. 1, rather than the typical 25 kHz channels, Wilson said.

The Chico Police Department and other public safety agencies started switching over Monday, Wilson said.

Wilson said the changeover exaggerated connection problems that resulted from old batteries, low reception areas and other malfunctions.

If dispatchers didn't hear from officers, they sent out radio status checks, and then other officers to check on missing ones, Wilson said. "It can be an officer safety issue," Wilson said. "But we have safeguards against anything happening."

Command staff instructed officers to avoid initiating service — such as making a traffic stop or getting out of the car to talk to someone — because they would need to tell dispatch on their radios, Merrifield said.

Wilson said sergeants are issued department cellphones, but other officers are not. They avoid using their personal cellphones for work because their records could then be subpoenaed.

The radios seemed to be working better Friday, though Merrifield said the problems can be frustrating.

"Officers get pretty tight-jawed when they feel like their equipment is not where it should be," he said.